Cost of living: Bristol food bank praised by father

A father of five says he's struggling to feed his family, as prices continue to rise at their fastest rate for more than 40 years.

Mark Welling, from Bristol said his local food bank has given him the support he needed.

According to the Office for National Statistics, UK inflation jumped to 9.4% in the 12 months to June.

Wiltshire food bank manager, Jill Neighbour said they were helping people they had never seen before.

The ONS said in June, petrol prices rose by 18.1p per litre, while costs for milk, cheese and eggs also climbed.

Mr Welling said he decided to reach out to Carpenters Food and Support Food Bank in Withywood after his son was hospitalised.

Spending more money on diesel travelling back and forth to hospital, Mr Welling said: "I can't fault them in any way - they're always helpful, they're always willing to do anything for you basically."

"With diesel going up, the price of food has gone sky high and all your bills come in - you pay your bills, you think you've got enough to get this that and the other," he said.

"I have five little ones under the age of eight and it's hard work to get what they want."

Tracey Phillips, manager of the food bank in Withywood, said they were finding a lot of service users had started to 'sofa surf' as they could no longer live in their own properties.

"If you get £70 a week to live on and you're paying £20 on this and that, there is not a lot to live on," she added.

Meanwhile, in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, Storehouse food bank manager Jill Neighbour said they had already welcomed 2,000 people through their doors this year, double the amount they had helped this time last year.

They have been serving community lunches since lockdown, providing a safe place for those isolated, unable to afford food and a hot meal.

Ms Neighbour said they had even seen a lot of "Ukrainian refugees coming through on a regular basis", alongside working families, couples and single people.

On average, it costs £97 to do a referral for a family of four, £65 for a couple and £54 for a single person, said Ms Neighbour.

"We offer food bags, cleaning products, personal hygiene products - the things we take advantage of in our cupboard," she said.

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